Furniture Making Workshop (one week)

Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week

Indicative maximum class size: 9

This practical course is for anyone who has an interest in furniture design and making.

No prior woodworking experience is necessary as you’ll be guided step-by-step through the different processes to create your own piece of furniture by an experienced tutor.

Course Description

On this hands-on course you’ll be introduced to a wide range of hand tools, machine tools and finishing techniques.

You’ll focus on the fundamentals of woodworking and gain a basic understanding of furniture making in a relaxed atmosphere.

On this course, you will:

• be inducted into our well-equipped product design workshops
• learn what checks to perform when selecting the right timber for your project
• use tools and equipment such as dimension saws, surface planers, thickness planers, spindle moulders, flatbed sanders, CNC and hand routers
• practise a variety of joints on your project and discuss the merits of each one
• build your confidence in using hand tools and woodworking equipment
• explore different finishing techniques that will make your piece truly unique.

You’ll be introduced to techniques through group demonstrations, samples, paper-based instructions and one-to-one feedback as your project develops.

What will you gain?

By the end of the course, you will have a thorough understanding of the different workshop processes, and a finished piece of furniture (a coffee table with drawer) that shows how you have applied these processes to your project.

You will also leave with the confidence to develop your skills and apply your knowledge to further furniture and woodwork projects.

Level: Beginner

Entry requirement: No experience is required.

Where you’ll learn: You will be based in the School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment on the City Campus.

You'll receive training and advice on how to fully utilise the fantastic equipment in our specialist wood workshop including saws, sanders, planers and spray booth.

You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.

Here's what some of our previous attendees have said:

'Fantastic course. Carl is an excellent teacher. He took time to explain each action, and was always happy to help when needed. I can't rate him highly enough. Great tutor and first class facilities.' SF

'Carl is an exceptional tutor who has endless energy and is a huge asset to the university.' JW

'Carl is a fantastic, hugely knowledgeable instructor. It's been great learning from him.' AS

Tutor Profile: Carl Smith has over twenty years’ experience making bespoke and mass production furniture, and is one of NTU’s longest serving furniture makers.

He started his career as an award-winning apprentice for Stag Furniture, and eventually trained to full certification as a journeyman, winning many other awards along the way including the National Skills Builder winners’ title and Olympia Cup gold medallist title.

In his daily role Carl advises students on the design and construction of prototype models.

His knowledge and expertise is used on many UG and PG courses at NTU, including product and furniture design, architecture, interior architecture and visual and decorative arts.

Need accommodation?

You can book a self-catered, single room with private bathroom on our city campus, right next door to our studios and classrooms: www.ntu.ac.uk/summeraccommodation

Any questions?

Contact the short course team:

Email: [email protected] 

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813